Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Those who’ve read my latest Dressmaker book, Vixen in Velvet, will have encountered Mr. C.H. Simpson, Master of Ceremonies for the Royal Gardens, Vauxhall . He held the post from May 1797 to his death on Christmas Day 1835.

Apparently, he worked in obscurity until 1826, when he became a character and a celebrity. According to Coke & Borg, “Thackeray described him as ‘the gentle Simpson, that kind smiling idiot.’ Always referred to simply by his initials C.H....he was renowned for his excessive politeness, servile manner and elaborate bows. With his top hat and silver-mounted cane, trademarks from the beginning of his time at Vauxhall, he could easily be seen as a figure of fun. In his later years he came to be regarded as one of the great attractions of the place, greeting all visitors with his special brand of obsequious courtesy. He also seems to have had a role in promoting Vauxhall, developing the extravagant caricature of his personality to very good effect.”

Of course I became intrigued, even though I needed him for only a few lines of my story. It grieves me to report that I couldn’t find his autobiography, short though it is, anywhere online, and the nearest library holding it is the British Library. That would be in London.

I think it's wonderful that Mr. Simpson gets to live again, if only briefly.

He must of been a wonderful character in real life. I found references to him from a variety of sources including Charles Dickens. See here...use your browser "find" feature and search for "Simpson". http://www.victorianlondon.org/entertainment/vauxhallgardens.htm

Mr. Simpson's address to the public...you need a magnifying glass to read it but I'm sure it's worth it. http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications/vaux3.gif

Loretta, I Googled Vauxhall Simpson. I eliminated any reference to his first name since he could be C.H., Christopher or Mr. I didn't try any of the other search engines so I don't know what they would have turned up. Also, I only checked the first few results. You should do the same search to see if anything else interesting pops up. :-)

You should apply for a Readers card for the British Library. Imagine having one of those.

The old British Library Reading room is in the middle of the British Museum (the British Library has moved to another site a mile away) and the Museum have filled the old Reading Room shelves with books written by holders of Readers cards - Karl Marx next to Beatrix Potter!

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A Polite Explanation

There’s a big difference in how we use history. But we’re equally nuts about it. To us, the everyday details of life in the past are things to talk about, ponder, make fun of -- much in the way normal people talk about their favorite reality show.

We talk about who’s wearing what and who’s sleeping with whom. We try to sort out rumor or myth from fact. We thought there must be at least three other people out there who think history’s fascinating and fun, too. This blog is for them.